Bent
by Jen11
Summary: It's group time for the cliffhangers and things start to heat up as they are forced to deal with their pasts...Future fic. AU. Includes all of the original members of the cliffhangers, including Peter and Sophie.Please r&r!CHAPTER 3 NOW UP
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: I have been an author here at fanfiction.net for a few years now, but it has been months, perhaps even a year, since I last posted anything. What you're about to read is the very beginning of something I wrote just now, on a whim of inspiration. If there is anyone out there who likes it, I will continue. Please review and let me know if I should continue!  
  
Ps: Does anyone remember me?  
  
Title: Bent  
  
Rating: PG, for now. Rating will be subject to change in later chapters.  
  
Summary: There are many paths to destruction. This, dear reader, is the tale of but one of them. Several years after the cliffhangers have left Horizon Peter looks back at the events that lead to the group's eventual destruction and decay and decides he cannot live with things the way they are.Thus beginning the fight to bring the cliffhangers back together at pick up the pieces.but will he succeed? Will he be able to piece the members back together?  
  
Teaser:  
The days were long at Mt. Horizon, and today was no exception. The ground was dry and dusty from the lack of rain and the sun was scorching hot - the kind of weather that began whispers around campus about a pond that supposedly lay just beyond the trees. Just out of reach. But hadn't a group found the pond, (or was it more of a lake?), a few years ago? One student would ask the next, and so the question would be passed along from one group to the next, weaving into circles of friends and quick;y making its way around the campus. Until the rumour fell on the ears of the wrong person.  
Peter chuckled softly to himself, grinning down at the student who had become the most recent victim of his magical appearing act.  
"No, that's just a rumour, John," he told the teenager with a shake of his head.  
But the truth lay at the tip of Peter's tongue, as he thought back to the group that had indeed discovered the pond. The Cliffhangers. They were undeniably his favourite group at the time, but then things had changed. Reality became too much for them.  
But that was the past, a time Peter thought of often, with a tinge of sadness in his heart. A lot had changed since then, although the group seemed to live on in spirit everywhere on campus.  
Ten minutes later Peter leaned against the counter in his country home as his wife, Sophie, poured him a glass of water.  
"What's wrong, mountain man?" Sophie questioned with concern.  
"Sometimes," Peter sighed, mustering the courage to admit what he was thinking, "sometimes I wonder what happened to them. Or what would have happened if things had gone differently."  
It was a conversation the couple had often, one that had yet to have a satisfying ending.  
"Oh, honey, we could never have known." Sophie took a different approach than usual in trying to console her husband. But Peter simply ran a hand through his brown hair and sighed heavily, the weight of a series of mistakes and misconceptions heavy on his tired shoulders.  
"But all the signs were there, right in front of us. They were so bent, and I just wasn't good enough to fix them." 


	2. Part 1 Reunion

**Auhtor's**** note: Okay, so I'm warning you now that not much happens in this chapter. Consider this an intro chapter to things that are soon to come.  Thanks to all those who reviewed, I truly appreciate your opinions!          **

Sophie and Peter talked late into the night, struggling to keep their rising feelings of guilt at bay.  They had been avoiding the topic of the Cliffhangers for weeks, (or had it been months?), hoping that with time they would fade into the recesses of their minds and eventually disappear.

            "Maybe we can fix this," Peter suggested.

            "Peter it's been years since they've graduated.  They aren't our responsibility anymore," Sophie argued softly.

            "So we're just supposed to give up?  Just because their parents no longer put those kids' lives in our hands?"  

            "No, because they aren't kids anymore.  They're grownups, Peter.  They can take care of themselves!"  

            "Sophie, I want to help them." Peter said, rubbing his forehead as he leaned back against the headboard of their bed.

            "How are you going to do that when they're miles away?" Sophie questioned tiredly.

            "We'll have a reunion," Peter decided.

.

            Peter and Sophie had split up the list of Cliffhangers to make the calling go faster, and pretty soon everything was set.  All of the Cliffhangers had eventually agreed to come, some with more hesitation than others.  It was definitely going to be an interesting weekend. 

            Friday arrived quickly, and it seemed like no time at all before the Cliffhangers started to arrive.  

            "She looks so different," Sophie whispered to Peter as Daisy walked towards the admin building, pulling a suitcase behind her.

            "I hope you're not saying anything too mean," Daisy smirked as she hugged her old counsellors.

            "No, not at all, Daisy.  We were just remarking on how grownup you look."  Peter replied as Sophie laughed nervously. 

            "I guess my work clothes make me look a smidge wiser," she shrugged as she glanced down at her dress suit.  "I didn't have time to change after work."

            "Come on, let's get you settled in." Sophie smiled.

            "What, no drug searches or shuns?" Daisy asked sarcastically. "I'm disappointed in you guys."

            The counsellors just laughed and led her towards her old building.

            Shelby was the next to arrive, but she wasn't by herself.  In the car seat she carried in her arms was a small baby, wrapped in a soft yellow blanket.  

            "This is Ava," she said quietly, showing the small child to Sophie and Peter.

            "Oh, Shelby!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly, "she's beautiful!" 

            "Thanks," Shelby smiled sadly, a shadow passing quickly over her face.

            Peter and Sophie glanced at each other, fully aware of the sadness in Shelby's eyes.  Where had this baby come from? Why was Shelby so sad?

            Auggie was next to return, and he stepped out of a taxi wearing a paired of jeans and a red hoodie.  A duffel bag was slung over his shoulder.

 "Auggie! How are you?" Peter asked as he pulled the young man into a quick hug.

"I'm holdin' up alright." Auggie replied calmly.  He had a darkness in his eyes that Peter hadn't seen in years.  

"Okay, well why don't I take you to where you'll be staying?" Peter asked, as Auggie followed him in the right direction.

            Juliette and Ezra both arrived at the same time.  Ezra was accompanied by a quiet young woman with a kind smile.

            "This is Amy." Ezra introduced her somewhat proudly.  "She works with me at the Counselling Center in town." Ezra explained to Peter, Sophie, and Juliette.

            "It's nice to meet you," Juliette smiled and hugged the blonde.  Amy smiled in return as they made their way onto the campus.  

            Scott was the last to arrive, accompanied by his beautiful girlfriend, Melissa.  Scott parked his jeep outside the admin building and climbed out hesitantly.  It had been two years since he had come back here…two years since the funeral.

            "Scott. It's so good to see you." Peter hugged the young man and was surprised at how much Scott recoiled.

            "It's good to see you, too." Scott replied, barely able to meet his counsellor's eyes.  Instead he turned to Sophie.

            "I'm glad you could come." Sophie smiled at him, raising his chin and forcing him to look her in the eye.

            Scott nodded, and introduced his girlfriend.

            "This is Melissa, my girlfriend.  Melissa, meet Peter and Sophie, my, uh, old counsellors."  It was obvious that the topic was difficult for him to talk about with Melissa, and Peter wondered how much Scott had told her about his past.  From the way 

it appeared so far, it didn't seem like she knew very much at all.

            "It's nice to meet you," Melissa smiled stiffly.

            "Well, it's time for dinner, so why don't we get you settled in." Peter broke the tension, leading the couple away.

            Dinner was not the traditional cafeteria food that the Cliffhangers had expected.  Instead they were taken outside to have a picnic in the gazebo they had spent so much time in as teenagers.  They had been told to meet there at six.

"I thought it would be nice to enjoy the last few moments of summer." Peter explained to Daisy, the first to arrive for dinner, with a hopeful shrug.

"I can see right through you, Peter.  This is to get us to bond over times passed." Daisy stated wryly.

"You're always one step ahead, aren't you?" Ezra smirked, joining them in the gazebo.

"Ezra!" Daisy exclaimed, pulling her friend into a close hug.

"Somebody is slightly peppier than I remember," Shelby laughed as she placed Ava, who was in a carrier, on the bench of the gazebo to hug her friends.  

            "Look what we have here!" Daisy smiled down at Ava, and then at Shelby.

            "She's gorgeous," Juliette smiled as she entered the gazebo, closely followed by Auggie.  

            The group surrounded the baby playing with it and emitting the sounds that humans seem to make around babies, no matter how much they claim they don't like children.  No one dared to ask the question that was burning in each of their minds.  Who was the father?

            Scott was the last to arrive, with Melissa clinging to his hand.  The group seemed to make her uncomfortable as the couple approached the gazebo.

            "They're not criminals, you know." Scott assured her as they stepped closer.

            "But they were at one time."

            "They were troubled, Melissa, not dangerous."

            "What were your troubles?" Melissa questioned.  

            "Scott!" Juliette practically squealed, unable to help herself at the sight of the young man she hadn't seen in years.

            The group seemed to charge out of the gazebo, hurrying to greet their old friend.  Scott's eyes found Shelby, still standing in the gazebo, and he froze.  The world seemed to stop around him, moving in slow motion as Scott's eyes met Shelby's.

            Scott hugged each of his friends, muttering a somewhat friendly greeting without taking his eyes off of Shelby.   Time had made her more beautiful, but reality had pushed her back down.  He could sense her loneliness from twenty feet away and he would have done anything at that moment to erase the pain from her eyes.

            The group finished their introductions and settled into the gazebo to each dinner.  Scott and Melissa squeezed themselves into the empty space next to Shelby.  

            "Hey," Scott said quietly, being careful not to let himself touch her.

            "Hi," she answered, glancing at Melissa and then back at Scott.

            "Alright guys, let's get this meal started," Peter spoke up before anything else could be said.

            There was a quiet tension in the gazebo as the cliffhangers ate their meal and chatted amongst themselves.  They chose their topics of conversation carefully, steering their friends away from anything that might reveal any of the secrets they had burning inside.  It looked like it was going to be a long weekend.


	3. Coffee and Confessions

**Author's Note:**  This chapter is rated PG 13 for language, and mature content.  It's a short chapter, I know, but I figure the shorter they are the more often I can post new ones.  

**Chapter preview:** It's  a little thing I like to call "sharing time" (otherwise known as group, or in this case "coffee time"…geez, Peter is really losing his stealth and imagination, isn't he?) for the Cliffhangers, and things start to heat up, (or cool down, really), when they are forced to come to terms with the events they despise the most.  

"Now this is something I definitely couldn't live without," Daisy said as she took a sip of steaming hot coffee.

"I'm more of a tea person," Shelby replied, curling her legs underneath her.

The cliffhangers were sitting around the fireplace, waiting for Peter to arrive.  He had asked them to meet him for coffee after dinner, but none of the cliffhangers had been fooled.  This meeting was not about coffee, or about relaxing in front of the fire with friends.  It was about digging up their hearts and laying them out on the table for everyone to see.  It was about uncovering secrets they hadn't whispered in years and letting their friends rip them apart for the things they had done.  It was the time to finally be honest about all the things that had happened since graduation, from life and death to love and heartache. 

"I have a task for you guys," Peter announced as he took a seat in one of the armchairs by the fire.  

"I don't have my hiking boots, Peter." Ezra muttered.

Peter just laughed. 

"No, this task is more based on internal reflection than physical exertion.  I want you guys to think back over the past few years since you've graduated.  I want you to think about the best and worst things that have happened to you."

The group was silent as they were each caught up in their own memories.  They sifted through their memories in an attempt to find those single moments that had defined their lives for the past few years.  

"I'll start," Juliette offered after a few minutes.

Each member was shaken from their thoughts as they focused on Juliette.

"The best thing that happened to me was all the time I've spent teaching.  I love helping kids learn, especially teaching them to read.  It's so fulfilling to see them go from not knowing anything to being able to read a book all on their own.  I love that," she shrugged.

"What about the worst?" Ezra asked carefully.

"I know what I am expected to say for this.  I know that a lot of us have the same answer.  But while I thought about it, I realized that there is something worse that has happened to me. My worst moment was the night that Auggie and I broke up," Juliette explained.  

A few of the cliffhangers frowned in confusion, unsure of how that could be the worst moment.  Yes, their relationship had been special, but hadn't there been other moments?

"I know what you guys are thinking, so I will explain.  When, well, at the funeral, I had you guys there to help me through it.  I wasn't alone.  But when I lost Auggie," Juliette shook her head slightly and allowed her eyes to meet Auggie's.  "I had no one there to help me, and I lost the best thing that had ever happened to me."

The group was silent as they absorbed what Juliette had just said.  

"I guess I'll go next," Ezra spoke up.  "As most of you know, David and I became really close after we graduated.  We both wanted the same thing, and neither of us could get it." Ezra glanced at Daisy, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  "That drew us closer, surprisingly enough.  I thought we were best friends, I thought we told each other everything.  I guess I was wrong because suddenly he was gone and I didn't even see it coming.  So the worst thing for me was losing a friend I guess I never really had."  

It was the first time any of the cliffhangers had talked openly about David's death.  In the past no one had been able to get past the shock that he was gone.

"What about a best thing?" Peter tried to lead Ezra on, as the rest of the cliffhangers wiped tears from their eyes.  They had needed to talk about David, about what his death had really meant.

"The best thing was getting the job at the counselling center.  It feels good to help people, to know that you are preventing others from ending up like you."  Ezra finished quietly.

"I'm next," Auggie spoke up.  "The best thing for me was the first few months after I graduated.  I had freedom, and I was happy.  I had escaped the fear and the danger, and I was okay…The worst thing…well, the worst thing was when my brother asked for my help.  I knew I couldn't help without getting pulled back into that life, his life, and I helped him anyway.  I haven't been good since then.  Shit, I haven't even been okay." Auggie told his friends what he had been afraid to tell them for years.

The cliffhangers offered small smiles of comfort to Auggie, who made himself look each of them in the eye.  He could tell from their reassuring glances that he was going to get help.

"So I guess I'm next," Shelby took her eyes off the fire for the first time since she had sat down.  Sophie was taking care of Ava for her, and Shelby seemed relieved to have a break from the constant demands of motherhood. 

"Uh, I know you guys have been wondering about Ava.  I can tell by the way you look at me, that you want to ask who her father is, but you don't know how to, not without upsetting me.  So I'll clear the air right now, because you guys deserve to know the truth." Shelby took a deep, shaky breath.  "I don't know Ava's father.  I don't know his name, or where he is, or how old he is, or what he was doing in the alley that night." 

Tears were streaming down her face now, as she fought an internal battle – heart against mind.  So far her brain was in the lead.  She had to continue, despite how much her heart and soul told her not to.

"I was so scared when I found out I was pregnant, so angry.  I didn't want the baby, but I couldn't get rid of it.  I couldn't bring myself to let it go.  It was part of me, part of whom I had become and who I would never escape."

By this point Shelby was beyond the point of recovery.  She glanced up at her friends, most of who were staring at the ground.  Shelby let out a sob as the

 realization hit her hard.  No one could look at her, not one of them.

So she did the first thing she could think of, the same thing she always did.  She ran.  She fled from the building, her feet guiding her unconsciously towards the one place she always went, the only place that could ever bring her comfort.

The water was calm as she sat on the dock, her arms wrapped around her frail body to keep warm and to hold back the sobs that wracked her body.  And then she waited.  She waited for something to happen, for someone to come get her, for the pain to stop.  She waited for the world to stop spinning and for the noise to escape her head.  She waited for solace that she knew would never come.

It was twenty minutes later when someone joined her on the docks.  He stood a few feet behind her, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.  By this point she was nothing but a crumpled figure sprawled on the rotting wood, her tears outlined by the moon's glow.  

The young man took a step forward, more unsure of himself and his actions than he had been in years.

"Go away," she spoke finally.  Her voice was scratchy and her throat ached with each breath.

He didn't bother replying as he sat down next to her on the dock.  Neither of them moved for a few minutes, adjusting to the foreign feeling of being within a few feet of each other.

"You dream about him, don't you?" Scott asked finally.

How did he know? How could he possibly be able to read her mind after all these years?  Shelby frowned only slightly, regretting it instantly when Scott ran a hand through his hair.  Why did he have to notice everything? 

"Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" Shelby asked, keeping her eyes focused on the water.

"She wasn't raped in an alley and then forced to raise a child on her own.  She isn't sitting at the end of the dock crying because people who claimed to be her friends couldn't even look at her.  She doesn't need people Shelby, you do."

"I'm not weak." Shelby spat defensively.

"I didn't say that."

"So you came out here to play the hero?  Well guess what, Scott? I don't need you.  I'm fine.  Go be someone else's knight in shining armour."

 There was a long silence as Scott contemplated his next words.  He had to be honest, had to get the truth out.  It was the only way to make things better.

"I'm out here because I need people, too." Scott replied quietly.

It sounded so lame when he said it out loud.  But it was the truth, plain and simple.

Shelby looked at him for the first time since he joined her on the dock.    

"What could possibly be wrong with your life Scott?  You have a beautiful girlfriend, a nice car, a good job."

"Sounds kind of like a guy I used to know." Scott replied wryly.  "Star football player with a perky, pretty girlfriend.  Maybe a small drug problem, but hey, aren't all teenagers into drugs these days?"  Scott gave her a pointed look.

"So you came out here to cry on my shoulder?  Two distressed people aren't exactly good for each other, Scott." Shelby rolled her eyes.

"We were." Scott answered without hesitation, looking her straight in the eye.

 There was the distinct sound of a sharp intake of breath as Shelby froze.  Scott's words were meant to prove her wrong, to guilt her into pitying him, to remind her of the many times they had leaned on each other for support.

They were not meant, however, for the reason Shelby had always imagined Scott would say them.  She wanted to feel his arms around her, his breath on her neck, his fingers in her hair.  She wanted him to love her.

"So spill," Shelby finally replied, turning to Scott and waiting patiently for the inevitable pain to fill his eyes, for his jaw to twitch, for him to run a hand through his tousled hair.  She waited for all the things she could never admit she had missed.  


	4. And the hits just keep on coming

**Author's note: **I wanted to get this chapter up a few days ago, but my computer had a virus and wouldn't let me connect to my school network, therefore taking away my internet access.  But now I'm back with a new chapter.  The next one should be up in a few days, depending on the response I get to this one.  As always, thanks for reading guys, and a please review!

            "There couldn't be any more tension in this room, could there?"  Daisy pointed out the obvious as she glanced around at her friends.

"It's not everyday our friend tells us she was raped.  I mean, she could have told us when it happened.  We could have helped her." Ezra's voice was filled with bitterness.

"Just like you could have helped David?" Auggie shot back.

Time stopped as everyone turned to stare at Auggie.  There had been an unspoken agreement amongst the Cliffhangers that no one would speak of David's death.  Not in the way they wanted to.  They hadn't allowed themselves to push the blame onto the people they held responsible, and Auggie was breaking that rule without the slightest hesitation.

"Auggie-" Juliette warned.

"Stay out of this Jules," Auggie continued.  "I want to take a second to say what everyone is thinking.  It's your fault Ezra.  He wouldn't have died if you hadn't noticed the signs.  He wasn't eating, he was cutting himself, he stayed locked up in his room.  He was barely alive Ezra, how the hell could you not notice that?!"  Auggie blew up, releasing the anger that had been stored inside for months.  

"This is about Shelby," Ezra muttered, not able to look at Auggie.

"Fine.  Let's talk about Shelby.  We all knew that this was coming.  I mean, she was falling apart even before she got out of here.  It's no surprise that she went back to what she used to be.  She's a slut and we all know it."  

"Shut up Auggie.  Look at you! You have no right to say anything to anyone here.  Have you even looked at yourself lately? At what you've become?  Oh that's right, I forgot.  You don't even own a mirror." Daisy was standing now, fire in her eyes, as she moved towards Auggie.  "When was the last time you stayed in your own home, Auggie?"

"I don't have to put up with any of this shit." Auggie mumbled as he too stormed from the building.

"Pretty soon there's going to be no one left in here."  Juliette whispered.

Melissa and Amy were still sitting on the couch in shock, staring in fear at the people around them.

"I need to go find Scott. I need to make sure he's okay," Melissa spoke for the first time in hours.

"He's fine," Juliette answered immediately.  "He's with Shelby."

"How do you know?" Melissa questioned suspiciously.

"There's nowhere else he could be."

            "I want to be sure they're not-"

"He's not cheating on you," Daisy cut in.  "He's in too much pain right now to think about anything other than that."

"But how can you be sure? I mean, you heard what Auggie said about Shelby."

"This has nothing to do with Shelby.  She would rather be a thousand miles away from him right now, so that's not your concern," Daisy defended her friend.

"Melissa we've seen Scott at his very lowest, when he had no one.  Shelby pulled him out of that state.  If he's anywhere near her right now, all he's doing is returning the favour.  If you interrupt them you may as well kiss your boyfriend goodbye, because he'll beat himself up about failing her for the rest of his life.  When he looks at you he won't see you, he'll see the person that stopped him from helping her."

"So I'm just supposed to sit here?" Melissa whined.

"I suppose you have a better idea?" Ezra asked sarcastically.

"We could continue with the conversation," Amy suggested.

"Right, because what we all need is to have our hearts ripped to shreds," Ezra responded without thinking.

Silence settled again over the group as they all settled back into their own thoughts.  After a few minutes Juliette rose from her seat and slid out the back door, with a slight wave to the group.  No one said a word, for they knew where she was going.  No matter how hard she tried, her soft spot for Auggie wouldn't go away.

Juliette found Auggie ten minutes later, in one of their old classrooms.  She shook her head silently as she fingered the door handle that the young man had broken to enter the room.  He was standing by the window in the dark room, the moonlight casting a soft glow across his face.  He didn't look up from the book in his hands when stood next to him.

Juliette's hand shook as she reached for the book, recognizing its cover instantly.  

"You had so much trouble with that," she whispered, glancing at the aged copy of Frankenstein that lay in a pool of moonlight on the floor.

"Don't you ever mind your own business?" Auggie snapped, dropping the book to the floor and turning his back to her.

"I just want to help," Juliette replied hesitantly.

"Go back to your school," Auggie replied tersely.  

"But I just-"

"I don't need you."

"Maybe not, but I need you."

"Look at me Juliette.  I live in the streets, I'm in a gang-"

"Not by choice."

"That doesn't matter.  I can't leave."

"You already have.  No one is making you go back."

"Juliette I'm a wreck.  You don't want me," Auggie muttered, his voice barely even a whisper.  

"Self pity doesn't look good on you." Juliette refused to buy into his pain.

"Cutting doesn't look good on you." Auggie shot back.

"That was years ago," Juliette brushed off the comment.  Auggie shook his head.

"I mean the cut on your arm.  Just below your shoulder on the inside of your right arm.  You tried to cover it with your t-shirt."

Juliette stared at him in disbelief, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt self-consciously. 

"I cut myself shaving," Juliette argued weakly.

"What are you doing to yourself Jules?" Auggie asked sincerely. "I thought the cutting had stopped years ago."

"And I thought we'd be together forever," Juliette answered, allowing her eyes to meet his.

Auggie leaned against the windowsill and chuckled bitterly to himself.  

"What?" Juliette asked defensively.

"Look at us Jules.  How did we get so…lost?"  Auggie asked.

"I don't know," Juliette moved closer, hesitantly leaning on the window next to him.

Naturally Auggie's arm found its way to Juliette's shoulder and he pulled her to him without a second thought.  She buried her face in his shirt, breathing in the scent she had missed so much over the years.  The couple stood in silence for a long moment, time seemingly suspended, as the moon slowly made its way across the sky.


	5. Things Change

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the television show Higher Ground, or it's severely dysfunctional characters.  Both belong to whoever owns tv shows once they are cancelled (ie: not me!).

Author's note: It's been so long since I posted the last chapter that I wouldn't be surprised if you don't even remember this story.  I'm sorry for the wait, but I have been busy with school.  More to come soon! 

            Shelby sat on the docks, Ava fast asleep in her arms, and watched the first thin light of morning filter over the horizon.  The breeze was cool and crisp and stirred ripples in the grey water below.  The weather channel would have informed a shivering Shelby that there was a cold front sweeping down from the mountains, and that it would be better for her to be inside.

            Just as Shelby was about to get up and make her way back to her cabin, there was a creak in the dock behind her.  She sighed, and glanced over her shoulder to observe her approaching intruder.  Ezra raked a hand through his already-tousled brown hair and offered Shelby a small smile.  She simply raised an eyebrow in return and turned back towards the water.

            She hadn't noticed the blanket in Ezra's hand, and was startled when he wrapped it around her shoulders and around Ava's small body.  

            "I thought you looked a little cold."

            "Thanks," she replied.

            Ezra simply nodded.

             "She's beautiful when she sleeps," Ezra motioned towards Ava. "I mean, not that she isn't beautiful all the time…"

            "I know what you mean," Shelby laughed.

            "Is that a smile?" he teased.

            When Shelby didn't answer, Ezra changed the topic back to Ava.

            "May I hold her?" he asked.

            Shelby nodded, carefully placing her daughter in Ezra's arms.

            "She's so small," he smiled, amazed at the infant he held in his arms.

            "Do you want kids?" Shelby asked, watching Ezra as he gently stroked Ava's cheek.

            Ezra considered the question carefully.

"I'm too scared I'd screw them up, you know?  I couldn't even keep my own life under control, so how could I raise a child with the slightest hope that they'd end up being ok?"  

            "It's scary, but it's ok." Shelby gazed at her daughter lovingly.  "It's definitely better than I thought it would be." 

            Shelby and Ezra watched as the sun rose slowly, almost hesitantly, over the horizon, spilling light onto the Horizon campus.

            "Can I take a guess at what was going to come after that last sentence?"  Ezra asked after a few minutes.

            "Be my guest," Shelby said.

            "You wish you had someone to help you through it, someone to convince you that you're doing a good job."  Ezra answered.

            "How did you know that?"

            "I'm psychic," Ezra whispered with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

            "Try again, Freikin," Shelby smirked.  Ezra raised an eyebrow at the name, but let it slide.  He knew that this was simply Shelby's way of getting an answer without seeming too interested.

            "I can see it in the way you act with her, the way you talk about raising her."

            Shelby waited, knowing there was more.

            "And, there's the way you react to other people holding her and caring for her." 

            Shelby shrugged in agreement.

            "It's not really even help with her that I want," Shelby admitted.  "It's help with me that I need.  Does that make sense?"

             "Perfect sense," Ezra said.  "You're lonely; you want someone to love you."

            "Now you're just making me sound desperate and pathetic," Shelby said.

            "More human than desperate or pathetic," Ezra placed Ava back in her mother's arms and stood up. "Can I give you a word of advice that might help you get through the weekend?" Ezra asked.

            "Isn't that the only reason you came out here?" 

            "Talk to Scott."

            "I already did, last night."

            "I have a feeling there were a few things left unsaid."

            "When did you get so perceptive?" Shelby frowned.

            "When did you get so easy to read?" Ezra didn't miss a beat.

            "Go inside Freikin."

            Ezra smiled and made his way back to his cabin.

            "Oh and Shel?" he called from the opposite end of the dock.  "I want my blanket back."

            Shelby just laughed and shook her head.

_____________

            Melissa was roused to consciousness by the sound of the cabin door squeaking shut.  Scott cringed in the doorway as Melissa's eyes fluttered open.  

            He changed into a pair of pyjama bottoms and crawled into bed as quietly as possible.

            "Is Shelby ok?" Melissa said.

            Scott didn't answer right away, not sure what Melissa was expecting him to say.

            "She will be," he answered finally.

            Melissa nodded and rolled away from Scott to face the wall.

            Scott lay on his back, staring at the stucco ceiling above him.  His conversation with Shelby played in his mind like a broken record, his mind getting stuck on certain words.  Confessions had slipped out into the cold air without so much as a second thought or hesitation.  

            Scott glanced at Melissa's sleeping form: the slope of her back, the soft curls of hair caught under her arm as she slept, and the soft pink colour of her cheek.  He had loved her so much, at one point.  It had seemed like the only thing he could do.  To be with someone who couldn't have the slightest idea what had happened to him, who couldn't see how broken he had been, was the only cure.  It was the perfect distraction.

            But now, lying in a bed at Horizon, (a place he never thought he could go back to), everything with Melissa seemed so trivial, so fake.  In the two years they had been together he had not once told her about his past.  She knew nothing about the drugs, the abuse, and the pain.  Most of all, she knew nothing about Horizon.  

            As the first beam of sunlight slid between the curtains of the bedroom, Scott opened his eyes.  He had not slept, although God knows he had tried.  Memories of Horizon, like snippets of home videos, played through Scott's mind, in all their scratched and blurred imperfection.

            The sunlight flickered across Melissa's face, and she slowly opened her eyes.  She glanced at Scott, and, surprised to see him awake, offered a small smile.  Scott struggled to ignore how fake the smile was.

            "Morning," he whispered.

            "Hi," she smiled back.

            There was a pause before Melissa leaned in and kissed Scott.  It was an awkward kiss, with the anger and uncertainty of the night before still clutching to the air.

            "It's going to be a long day, isn't it?" Melissa asked quietly when Scott pulled away a little too soon.

            "At Horizon they always are," Scott said as he climbed out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom for a shower.

___________________

"Alright Cliffhangers, I need to ask for a favour," Peter broke the tension at the breakfast table with his usual cheerful tone.

            The cliffhangers looked up at him expectantly, fully aware of the fact that Peter had undoubtedly saved each and every one of there lives at least once, and that returning a favour was the least they could do.

            "Sophie and I are having some trouble with this generation of Cliffhangers, and we thought maybe you guys could offer us some suggestions."

            "We can't really make any promises, but we can certainly try," Juliette offered, and the rest of the cliffhangers nodded in agreement.

            "Alright, why don't you guys start by sitting in on their group session.  We need them to see that they aren't the only ones with problems, and that other people have gone through the same thing."

            The cliffhangers followed Peter into the lounge, where the current cliffhangers were already sitting in a circle by the fire.  The old cliffhangers pulled up chairs and joined the group.  Shelby placed Ava, in her car seat, by her feet on the floor.  Amy and Melissa, uncertain about whether or not they should be a part of the group, chose seats on the other side of the room, out of earshot.

            "Ok cliffhangers, we have some special guests here today who are going to join our group session.  These lovely individuals are the former cliffhangers, who are back for a reunion."

            "Why would you even bother coming back here?" Cassandra, one of the current cliffhangers, asked.

            "It's not so bad here when you get used to it," Scott admitted with a smirk.

            "And coming from Scott that means a lot!" Ezra piped up.

            The old cliffhangers all nodded in agreement, some of them rolling their eyes at the memory of what Scott was like when he had first arrived at Horizon.

            "We're going to try something different for today's session," Peter said.  "Instead of the usual 'finish the following sentence' routine, we're going to shake things up a bit."    

            "Something different? I thought Horizon was all about routine and becoming normal again." Mark, the newest Cliffhanger, spoke up.

            "You'll never be normal again," Shelby answered for Peter.  "You learn to move on and to take the skills you learn here and apply them to your new life, but you will never be what you used to be." 

            "I think that's probably one of the most important things that you need to realize before you can start to heal," Juliette agreed.

            "That and the fact that you can be yourself here.  You don't need to hide." Daisy said.

            "Ok, what we're going to do is this: I will run a quick group session with the old cliffhangers as an example, and then we will try it out with the new cliffhangers.  How does that sound?" Peter said.

            The old cliffhangers shrugged in agreement, and waited for Peter to start the session.  


End file.
